"concerns about the illiberal, authoritarian communist government of China"
That's not everything the TFA says. It begins talking about how uncivil the Chinese are.
I am sympathetic to the discussion of the government. The emphasis on line cutting and gawking is interesting as a foreigner (experienced gawking too in Seoul) but it does seem to contradict the author's contention that the reason for leaving has nothing to do with Chinese people and culture.
I don’t believe uncivil behavior has anything to do with Chinese people and culture, it is only something that the government leads society and is less prevalent in other Chinese societies (Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc...).
That's a fair point.
> the author's contention that the reason for leaving has nothing to do with Chinese people and culture
Where does he say that?
No, it begins with: "In early November 2017, the HSBC Business School informed me they would not renew my contract. In March 2018 they informed me they wished to sever all ties by April 1, 2018."